There was a time when TV animation consisted of Saturday morning cartoons and The Flintstones. But while Saturday morning cartoons are a thing of the past (on network TV, anyway), the reality in 2019 is that animated series are some of the biggest boundary-pushers on TV.
With Steven Universe on Cartoon Network introducing queer themes in a way that’s both forthright and remarkably sweet, and Netflix delving into issues of depression and addiction in BoJack Horseman and puberty and sexual development in Big Mouth, we’re in something of a golden age for socially-relevant animation.
A show like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fits right into that trend. A reboot of the ‘80s children’s adventure series (a sister series, quite literally, to He-Man), She-Ra tells the origin story of our titular heroine in a way that shows both empowerment and empathy. The frank fludity (of both gender norms and sexuality) in the show come at the perfect time in our culture, and really set it apart, making it well worth a quick weekend Netflix binge.
SEASON PREMIERE: When last we met our faves on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Adora/She-Ra had regained her sword, while Catra had advanced up the ladder of Hordak’s underlings. With season 2 finally here, expect more swordplay, more super-friends-teamwork with Glimmer and Bow and Swift Wind, and more of the gloriously complicated Catra. Streaming on Netflix
SERIES PREMIERE: The new Netflix mystery/thriller series Chambers springs from an intriguing premise: what if you were the recipient of a heart transplant, only to find out that the girl whose heart now beats in your chest came from a really … weird family. Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn play the parents of the dead organ donor, and if Uma’s mega-intense stares don’t sell you on this, then Tony Goldwn doing Very Intense Yoga will (watch the trailer). Streaming on Netflix
SERIES PREMIERE: If you’ve ever lost an entire day binge-watching Netflix’s plentiful food content, then Street Food is sure to be your jam. Following in the footsteps of Chef’s Table and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Street Food goes on a global tour of local cuisine sold in the streets of Thailand, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and more. Streaming on Netflix
SPECIAL: In a special episode of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, Zak and the crew investigate a 130-year-old estate in California that’s been the location for many film and TV shoots, most prominently American Horror Story. 9:00 PM ET on Travel
ALSO TONIGHT
Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.
TOPICS: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Netflix, Chambers, Street Food